It wouldn’t make sense for the Indians to trade Ubaldo Jimenez or Justin Masterson, but the Indians can more than afford to move Chris Perez.

Chris Perez may have finished with 36 saves—good for fourth in the American League—but he is absolutely replaceable. His ERA was a strong 3.32, but his FIP was 4.27, his xFIP was 5.01 and his fWAR was only 0.1. Add in the fact that his SO/9 dropped from 10.74 in 2009 to 8.71 in 2010 to 5.88 in 2011 without a decent corresponding drop in his BB/9 (4.26 in 2009, 4.00 in 2010, 3.92 in 2011), and 2012 Chris Perez is a recipe for disaster.

Knowing that there is a good chance Perez will struggle in 2012 and knowing the volatility of relievers, it makes absolute sense to sell high on Perez now. Perez alone likely won’t be enough to bag the Tribe Alonso, but throwing in a decent starter such as Jeanmar Gomez, along with a decent prospect like catcher Chun Chen, could be enough to sway the Reds. Read More…

What makes this deal a good one for the Indians is the contract Sizemore is expected to sign. According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the deal will “include a low base salary but enough performance bonuses to where he could earn at least $9 million if he’s able to play a full season and produce the kind of offense he did from 2005 through 2008.”

So, the Tribe will probably be on the hook for $3-4 million no matter what and pay Grady more if he plays well. That’s a perfect investment for the Indians because a producing Grady Sizemore is one of the better players in the league. Read More…

Projecting the Cleveland Indians‘ 2012 Opening Day roster has become easier with the Derek Lowe trade, the picking up of Fausto Carmona’s option and the declining of Grady Sizemore’s, but there’s still plenty of guesswork to be done.

The Tribe still could use an upgrade at first base and in the outfield for sure and could potentially not be done tweaking their starting rotation. Plus, given the volatile nature of bullpens, it isn’t a stretch to think the Indians could look at upgrading there as well.

With the picture a little less hazy than it was in October, let’s take another stab at what lineup the Indians will be running out on April 5, 2012 on Opening Day.

I’m treating this set of predictions as more of a best-case scenario, but all the moves are still within the realm of possibility (so not signing Albert Pujols). Some of these probably won’t happen, but you never know. Read More…

Despite having all the looks of a future star, the Cleveland Indians should pass on Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Though his promotional video has been removed from Youtube, Cespedes has been the talk of baseball. Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus broke down each minuteof the crazy video, which was a mixture of baseball highlights, trick catches and some hilarious, absurd shots of roasting pigs.

For all of his raw talent, it is expected that Cespedes will demand a similar contract to fellow Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. Chapman’s contract is complicated, but basically comes out to a six-year, $30 million deal between it’s various bonuses and player options.

If Cespedes is even half the player he seems to be, that deal would well underpay him. Read More…

The 2011 campaign was probably the hardest year Morrison has ever had to endure. His father—the person who’d coached and helped him since he was young—died in December 2010. 2011 was the first season Morrison has played baseball without his dad there to guide and help him. It was obviously a rough transition for the young player.

The problems 2011 contained continued into the season when Morrison was seemingly demoted as punishment, something he filed a grievance for. Morrison also called the Marlins out on his popular Twitter page (@LoMoMorrison), something the Marlins are admittedly sick of.

Considering the bad blood between him and the Marlins at this point, the general sense around baseball is that Morrison will be available in a trade this offseason. This is where the Indians should take advantage of the Marlins’ misfortune. Read More…

Now that the Indians have announced that they have not picked up Sizemore’s option, the Tribe has a hole in center field. While Grady could still return, it seems unlikely at this point.

With Sizemore moving on, there is an unexpected hole in center field for the Tribe. The Tribe could move Michael Brantley into that spot, but I’m not convinced he’s an everyday player at any position. Read More…